Guide to Taking Painkillers for Toothache: Differences by Ingredient, Daily Maximum, and When to Ask First

Fever reducers and painkillers bought at a pharmacy can be used for toothache, but they only reduce pain and do not treat the cause. With acetaminophen, take special care over the daily maximum and duplicate use, and with anti-inflammatory painkillers such as ibuprofen, the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) advises adults not to take them for pain for 10 days or more without a doctor's or pharmacist's instruction.

Published 2026-11-08 · Updated 2026-11-08 · DentalStatics editorial team

Key facts

Adult acetaminophen dose	0.5-1.0 g per dose, 3-4 times a day, maximum 4 g a day (for single-ingredient oral products) (source: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS, 식품의약품안전처))
Who should ask before taking	Drinking 3 or more drinks every day, liver disease, taking warfarin (source: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS))
Period of self-medication	Not 10 days or more for pain in adults or 5 days in children, or 3 days or more for fever (source: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS))
Caution about duplicate use	Only one medicine containing acetaminophen at a time (source: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS))
Gastrointestinal bleeding risk of NSAIDs	Rises with anticoagulant or steroid use, taking several NSAIDs together, long-term use and drinking (source: Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS))

What kinds of painkillers are used for toothache?

The approved indications of acetaminophen from the MFDS include toothache. Acetaminophen calms pain and lowers fever, and single-ingredient products are over-the-counter medicines that can be bought at a pharmacy without a prescription.

Painkillers available without a prescription also include aspirin, naproxen and ibuprofen. These are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which, unlike acetaminophen, also calm inflammation. Prescription-only medicines such as diclofenac and aceclofenac, used for inflammation and pain after dental surgery, need a doctor's prescription.

Which ingredient suits you depends on age, other medicines you take, and the state of your stomach and liver. If it is a medicine you are taking for the first time, it is safer to tell the pharmacist what you now take and then choose.

How much acetaminophen can I take?

According to the MFDS Manual for Safe Use of Drugs, single-ingredient oral acetaminophen can be given to adults at 0.5-1.0 g per dose, 3-4 times a day, up to 4 g a day. An over-the-counter single-ingredient tablet usually contains 0.5 g, so decide how many tablets per dose by looking at the strength of the product.

Cold medicines, headache medicines and prescription drugs may also contain acetaminophen, so you can exceed the recommended amount without realizing it. The MFDS stresses that only one medicine containing acetaminophen should be taken at a time.

Taking more than the recommended amount can cause liver damage, and early liver-damage symptoms such as loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting are sometimes mistaken for cold symptoms. If an overdose is suspected, consult a doctor or pharmacist right away, because the timing of liver-protective treatment matters.

What should I watch out for with anti-inflammatory painkillers?

The MFDS warns that the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding rises when nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and aspirin are taken together with anticoagulants or steroids that raise bleeding risk, when several of them are taken at once, when taken for a long time, or when alcohol is drunk during use.

If you have ever had a stomach ulcer or gastrointestinal bleeding, always tell a doctor or pharmacist before choosing an anti-inflammatory painkiller. If black stools, vomiting blood or severe abdominal pain occur during use, stop the medicine and get care right away.

Whether to take acetaminophen and anti-inflammatory painkillers together or alternately is judged differently by individual condition, so do not decide it yourself; follow the guidance of a pharmacist or dentist.

What if I am pregnant or my child has a toothache?

The MFDS introduces acetaminophen as the fever reducer and painkiller that pregnant women can take most safely among the various options. Even so, it recommends consulting a doctor or pharmacist before taking it, to check whether other measures are needed.

Oral acetaminophen for children is set, from 4 months to 12 years of age, at 80 mg to 640 mg per dose by age and weight, 3-4 times a day. Syrup is given at 10-15 mg/kg per dose at intervals of 4-6 hours, not more than 5 times a day. Going by weight rather than age is better.

To prevent accidents in which children open medicine containers and take them by mistake, the MFDS requires safety-container packaging that is hard for children aged 5 and under to open for oral products with more than 1 g of acetaminophen per individual package and for children's syrups. At home too, keep the medicine in its original container out of the child's reach.

Why should I not just get by on painkillers?

The MFDS explains that the effect of a painkiller is treatment of the symptom, not treatment of the cause of the disease. If the pain does not improve even after taking the medicine, or comes back when you stop, the cause must be found and treated at its root.

The KDCA warns that taking anti-inflammatory painkillers on your own for wisdom tooth pain may help at first, but it can worsen and become an emergency. While nerve inflammation is covered up with painkillers, the inflammation can spread to the root tip and bone.

Also avoid increasing the amount taken at one time because it is not working. Keeping to the set dose and getting dental care as soon as possible is the safest way to use painkillers.

Common myths and facts

Myth: If a painkiller works, there is no need for treatment.

The MFDS explains that a painkiller manages the symptom, not the cause. Even if the pain settles, the causative tooth must be treated.

Myth: If the effect is weak, I can take double at once.

The MFDS advises not to increase the dose on your own because symptoms are not improving. Acetaminophen carries a risk of liver damage in overdose.

Myth: Cold medicine and painkillers have different ingredients, so I can take them together.

Cold medicines may also contain acetaminophen, so taking them together can exceed the recommended amount.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take a toothache painkiller on a day I drank alcohol?

The MFDS advises that people who drink 3 or more drinks every day should ask before taking acetaminophen because the risk of liver damage rises. Drinking during anti-inflammatory painkiller use also raises the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding, so it is better not to combine alcohol and painkillers.

I take warfarin and my toothache is severe.

If you take warfarin, acetaminophen too can raise bleeding risk, so you must consult a doctor or pharmacist before taking it. Anti-inflammatory painkillers raise the risk of gastrointestinal bleeding when used with anticoagulants, so do not choose one on your own.

Can I take a pharmacy painkiller along with medicine prescribed by the dentist?

The prescribed medicine may already contain a pain-relieving ingredient. Show the pharmacist the ingredients on the medicine bag or prescription, check that they do not overlap and then take it. If it is hard to check, ask the dental clinic that prescribed it first.

For how many days can I take painkillers?

The MFDS advises not taking acetaminophen for pain for 10 days or more in adults or 5 days in children without a doctor's or pharmacist's instruction. For a toothache, it is good to see a dentist and treat the cause well before that.

Can I go to the dentist after taking a painkiller?

You can, but tell the dentist the name, time and amount of the medicine you took. Telling them how the pain changed after taking it also helps the dentist interpret the symptoms and avoid duplication when deciding later prescriptions.

References

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